Oklahoma City Thunder's Biggest Concern Should Be Having Home-Court Advantage Over Miami Heat

By Brian Anderson

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The Oklahoma City Thunder are currently the No. 2 seed in the NBA‘s Western Conference, sitting at 55-21 on the season. It is improbable that they will rally to overtake the San Antonio Spurs for the No. 1 seed in the conference at this point. The Spurs have eclipsed the 60-win mark, posting the best record in the league thus far.

The Thunder are currently on a two-game losing streak. This is not a sign of them slipping as the playoffs near. Those two losses came at the hands of two teams with their backs against the wall, pushing to secure spots in the playoffs — something the Thunder had done prior to their last two meetings.

More important than those two losses is the Thunder’s recent victory over the conference-leading Spurs. OKC finished the season series a surprising 4-0 sweep over the Spurs. Their dominance over the conference’s best ream — record wise — ensures the basketball world that OKC is the true front-runner out West. A sweep speaks volumes between two teams that have had some closely fought battles in recent years.

The Thunder will have to deal with the Spurs if they cross paths in the playoffs. OKC proved that they would not need home-court advantage to win a playoff series against San Antonio. The only team the Thunder needs to worry about having home-court advantage over is the Miami Heat. So far, the Thunder have the better record, and they are currently playing better basketball than the LeBron James led Heat.

It is safe to say that OKC will indeed finish the season off with a better record than Miami, barring any major setbacks. The Thunder’s chances of making it to the NBA Finals are better than ever, even as the No. 2 seed out West. It will be more of a surprise if the Heat can fight their way to the final round. Their chances have improved greatly with the Indiana Pacers‘ recent slide. Regardless, the Pacers and a few teams still pose a serious threat to the defending champions’ chances of returning to the Finals. But no team’s threat to dethrone the champs is more serious than the Thunder.